The Best Multi-Tool: Why the Leatherman Skeletool CX Stands Above the Rest

The Best Multi-Tool: A Tool You Never Knew You Needed — Until You Do

There's a universal truth about multi-tools that every skeptic eventually discovers the hard way: if you don't carry one, you can't imagine when or why you'd ever use it. But the moment you find one you truly love, you're reaching for it seven times a day. A stubborn screw here, a frayed wire there, an unexpected situation that demands a blade or a pair of pliers — the right multi-tool quietly becomes one of the most indispensable items you own.

To help you find that perfect tool, our team spent years putting more than 30 multi-tools through serious, real-world testing in rural New Hampshire. We fixed fences in the rain, sliced hay-bale twine in freezing temperatures, and even found ourselves using a multi-tool to assist in the birth of a lamb on a cold March morning. After all of that, one tool rose consistently to the top: the Leatherman Skeletool CX.

Why Most People Underestimate the Multi-Tool

Multi-tools occupy a unique space in the world of everyday carry gear. Unlike a dedicated pocket knife or a fixed-blade tool, a multi-tool promises to handle a broad range of tasks with a single compact package. That promise, however, comes with a caveat — not all multi-tools deliver on it equally. Many are too bulky to carry comfortably, too flimsy to handle real work, or too complicated to deploy quickly under pressure.

The result is that millions of people own multi-tools they never actually carry. They sit in junk drawers or gloveboxes, forgotten until a moment of frustration sends someone digging for them. The difference between a multi-tool that gets left behind and one that earns a permanent spot on your belt or in your pocket almost always comes down to a combination of weight, usability, and confidence in the build quality.

How We Tested: Real Conditions, Real Work

Lab benchmarks and spec sheets can only tell you so much. Our testing philosophy has always been to put tools to work in the kinds of situations where people actually need them. Over the course of our multi-tool evaluation, we put more than 30 models through a rigorous battery of practical tests that covered the full range of scenarios a multi-tool might reasonably face.

• Farm and field repairs: Fixing broken fence posts, tightening loose hardware on gates, and cutting through baling twine tested both the pliers and blade performance of every tool we evaluated.
• Fine mechanical work: We used the screwdrivers and smaller implements to work on equipment, tighten battery terminals, and handle delicate tasks that required precision over brute force.
• Emergency situations: Some of our most memorable tests were unplanned, including that cold March morning when a multi-tool became an unexpected but essential instrument during a difficult livestock birth. These moments reveal which tools you can actually trust when it matters most.
• Everyday carry wearability: We assessed how comfortably each tool could be carried throughout a full day of physical work, noting which ones we stopped reaching for because they were too heavy or awkward.

Meet the Winner: Leatherman Skeletool CX

After years of testing, the Leatherman Skeletool CX has consistently held its position as the best multi-tool available. It isn't the most feature-packed option on the market — and that's precisely part of what makes it so good. Leatherman stripped the Skeletool CX down to the tools most people actually use, built them exceptionally well, and housed everything in a lightweight, skeletonized frame that makes the tool genuinely pleasant to carry every single day.

Design and Construction

The Skeletool CX is built around a stainless steel and carbon fiber construction that keeps the weight down to just 5 ounces — impressively light for a tool that feels this capable in hand. The skeletonized handles aren't just an aesthetic choice; they reduce weight meaningfully without sacrificing structural integrity. The result is a multi-tool that doesn't drag your pocket down or make you think twice before clipping it to your belt in the morning.

The Tools That Matter Most

Rather than stuffing in 20 rarely-used implements, the Skeletool CX focuses on seven carefully chosen tools: needle-nose pliers with a wire cutter, a combination blade, a large bit driver, two screwdriver bits, and a carabiner clip that doubles as a bottle opener. Every one of these tools is accessible and functional. The blade, in particular, deploys one-handed and locks securely — a feature that matters enormously when your other hand is holding something in place.

The bit driver system is especially practical, allowing you to swap in different screwdriver bits as needed, turning what might otherwise be a limited tool into a surprisingly versatile option for mechanical and household tasks.

Everyday Carry Practicality

The built-in carabiner clip makes the Skeletool CX easy to attach to a belt loop, a bag strap, or a gear ring without needing a separate sheath. This might sound like a small detail, but it's the kind of thoughtful design choice that determines whether a tool actually gets carried or gets left on the counter. When a tool is easy to bring along, you bring it along — and then you use it, repeatedly, in ways you never anticipated.

The Competition: Other Multi-Tools Worth Considering

The multi-tool market is crowded with strong contenders, and a few deserve mention for buyers with specific needs. The Leatherman Wave+ offers more tools in a slightly heavier package and is an excellent choice for those who need a wider range of implements. The Victorinox SwissTool Spirit X stands out for its exceptionally smooth tool deployment and premium Swiss craftsmanship. For those on a tighter budget, the Gerber Suspension NXT delivers solid performance at a significantly lower price point.

That said, none of these tools managed to consistently outperform the Skeletool CX in the balance of everyday usability, build quality, and real-world performance that our testing demanded.

Who Should Buy the Leatherman Skeletool CX?

The Skeletool CX is the right choice for anyone who wants a multi-tool they will actually carry and actually use. It excels for outdoor enthusiasts, tradespeople who need a reliable pocket companion, homeowners who find themselves tackling repairs regularly, and anyone who has ever been caught without the right tool at the wrong moment. If your needs lean toward highly specialized tasks — electrical work requiring a wide bit selection, or survival scenarios demanding a saw — you may want to consider a more feature-heavy option. But for the vast majority of people, the Skeletool CX covers all the bases that matter.

Final Verdict

After more than 30 multi-tools tested across years of real, demanding use, the Leatherman Skeletool CX remains the best multi-tool money can buy for most people. It's light enough to carry every day, built well enough to trust in tough situations, and focused enough in its feature set to be fast and intuitive to use. Once you've had it on your belt for a week, you'll wonder how you ever got along without it — and you'll understand exactly why people who carry a great multi-tool reach for it seven times a day.